This tiny little spot on Banff Avenue is a welcomed change from all the other places. This Japanese fusion spot churns out delicious dishes: rice bowls, ramen, sushi etc. The dishes are very flavourful and satisfying. This place is tiny, it can only seat about 15 people comfortably. It doesn't have much atmosphere, it's more for a quick bite than a proper sit down dinner. Prices are high but better than most places in Banff. Most dishes are $10-13, however portions are a bit small. I recommend ordering an appetizer to round out the meal. Bottom line: the dishes are on the small side, but this offers the best price to taste ratio in Banff. read more

Chaya - Tan tan Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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Decent ramen with decent prices to warm your belly on a cold night in Banff. You first order at the counter and the someone will bring the food over to you. Everything else is self serve - water, chopsticks, napkins. The food actually came out quite fast. I got the Tan Tan ramen. Spicy peanut sauce with minced meat. Flavourful. But wish they had more toppings included. My boyfriend had the BBQ pork ramen. The broth was just a clear broth which could have been much better if it was a pork based broth. The downside of this place is that it is quite small. Maybe around 20 seats in total. read more

Chaya - Tan Tan Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Ramen in Banff! Yay! Okay, was super excited to find a good ramen place in Banff, especially after doing all sorts of walking, sightseeing, and shopping it's such a welcome sight! The restaurant itself is quite small so it's quite loud in the restaurant when it's full of people. And you can definitely hear everyone's conversations, so this is not a good place for dates or relaxing quiet time away from the crowds. My fiance and I ordered wonton ramen and bbq pork ramen. The presentation is quite simple, but don't mind it at all. Both the wonton and bbq pork ramen were so good! The broth was just right and the wontons were not over cooked. The servings are super huge as well. For the price, quality, and service it is definitely worth it! We usually go hiking around spring summer season around the Banff area, so we will definitely come back and visit to fill up on some warm and tasty ramen! read more

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A small and busy Japanese ramen shop in banff. Depend on your luck, the wait time varies. It took us 20min to get the seats. Ramen and other food are served quick. Very typical Japanese style of service that you need to order the food and pay first. Ramen tastes good. But katsu don and curry udon is just ok compared to the restaurants I tried in San Francisco. Restaurant is owned by Japanese. So if you want some real Japanese food in town(not Asian fusion), try this place! read more

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We were cruising through town getting gifts and other useless stuff for kids before returning home from an exciting week of skiing. My friends saw this place and insisted we stop in for some noodles. We showed up and the tiny place was packed, we were told we need to come back in 30 minutes and given a table reservation. When we came back the place was completely empty. It did fill up again after a few minutes. On of my friends spent a while in Asia and had high expectations of Chaya. The two of them ordered Miso Ramen and I ordered Chicken Teriyaki Don. I also ordered a spicy tuna roll. The Chicken Teriyaki Don was nothing special, it was A-Okay. Same with the the sushi, Banff is pretty land locked and I'm not sure what I was thinking. Both of my friends agreed that the Miso was good but not amazing. Overall Chaya is a good place to get your noodle fix but I wouldn't go out of your way. read more

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Edamame was a extremely over-salted, I'd say caked with salt. The ramen was mediocre and the pork in it was almost all fat... very disappointing and unfulfilling meal. Service was friendly. read more

Super yummy!! Limited seating, but great prices and food. Food was quick and filling.

My family and I came here on our vacation in Banff. We just arrived and was looking for lunch. Of course to our surprise, you can find ramen and Japanese food in Banff so we jumped at this opportunity. The restaurant only has a handful of tables so we had to get a number and wait for a table. Note that they give you a paper that tells when what time to come back. We luckily waited outside and realized a table was ready for us a couple of minutes before our assigned time and got seated. So make sure you look out because your table might be available earlier! We had the vegetable udon, BBQ pork ramen, chicken teriyaki don, and Katsu don. The udon, and rice bowls were really good. The portions were on the small size but they tasted really good. The ramen was subpar. The broth was very light and not very flavorful. I would skip it and go for udon instead if you want a noodle soup dish. The udon broth was delicious! Authentic Japanese food in Banff is truly a hidden gem. read more

I ordered the veggie ramen and was disappointed by the serving size and what was included in the soup. Usually ramen is supposed to have more veggies but this soup was definitely lacking. The taste of the broth was good but overall the soup just felt a bit empty. read more

Chaya - Veggie ramen - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Authentic Japanese fare, the staff is attentive and awfully nice! Very affordable and the curry definitely reminds me of japan! Delicious!

Really good curry udon on a cold, rainy day in Banff. The sliced onions were a nice touch and it was piping hot. You pay at the counter and then sit down. We got a table quickly because we were just a party of two. However, it definitely gets busy, and the wait times for larger parties were longer. Make sure to come slightly before you're hungry, because you might have to wait. Very reasonably priced. Probably one of the better meals you can get for that price on Banff Ave. Recommend coming, especially on a rainy day! read more

Chaya - Curry Udon (green onion and thin sliced beef in it) - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Don't let the Yelp stars fool you. This place has zero hospitality and clearly do not care to serve guests. Walked in at 8:30 and the lady told us we were restricted to take out as they were closing at 9 and everyone needed to be out by 9. I absolutely despise restaurants that do this with their misleading hours. They should just post their hours as closing at 8:30. So at 8:30 with a four topper open and with a reserved sign on there and two tables about to finish up they refused to seat us. Fine. We will take our money elsewhere. I rarely encounter such negative service and attitude. Clearly the owners should not be in the hospitality business if they are constantly turning customers away. Avoid. read more

This place is a hidden gem! I was in Banff during May and it was colder than I thought it would be. Warmed up at Chaya with a nice bowl of hot ramen. But this place is tiny and always busy. We had to get a number and wait a good 45 min and we decided to start our dinner at the Greek place next door. The ramen and rice are worth it. Don't bother with the sushi. I came back for it another day and it was way over hyped. read more

Chaya - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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We came to Chaya on a night with scattered showers - we were hoping the ramen would warm us right up. Visiting from California, we did not have very high expectations for the food in Banff (It's a small town, y'know? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). To our surprise - Chaya delivered! My girlfriend & I shared the Tan Tan ramen (asked for it extra spicy) and the katsu curry (with extra katsu). The ramen was delicious - I'm not big on ramen, so I won't be very verbose in my description. From a guy who doesn't enjoy ramen much, though, I really liked it. The portions of curry & rice were so big that we finished the first portion of katsu with about half the dish left to eat. So, we ordered another serving of meat - it came out pretty quickly and we devoured the rest of the dish. If you find yourself in Banff and craving Asian food, Chaya won't disappoint (& neither will Sushi House! but that's for another review) read more

In the bay area, this would be more of a 3.5-star place. Given that we are in the mountains in a national park in Canada, I think this deserves 4 stars. The restaurant is easy to find on Banff Ave, but it is small as others have noted. I would recommend coming in a party of no more than four people, ideally two. We tried a curry soba (#11) and the spicy ramen (#3). Both were tasty. The ramen could have been hotter to my taste and we had to go back and ask for the extra veggie we paid for. Otherwise I enjoyed it; the broth in particular was very good. The curry soba was a little more one-dimensional than the ramen broth, but it was hot and filling and an interesting change of pace. Service was prompt. The inside was clean and they take credit cards. Parking can be found about a block away from Banff Ave. along the street or in one of the public lots, though they tend to fill up quickly. read more

Chaya - Spicy dandan ramen - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Chaya is a definite stop for me every time I'm in the Banff area. It's this small authentic Japanese place right in the middle of busy Banff Ave - it's very possible to miss it so just look for McDonald's and it's right next door. Service is pretty great too - I don't think there was ever a time that we ordered from someone who wasn't smiling. We also never had to wait for our food for too long. During our last visit, there was no available table and we were asked if we're willing to wait. We were then given a time when we should return for our table. I appreciated the effort so we don't have to wait in the restaurant tortured by the smell of good food. We've tried their Tantan ramen, Katsu Curry and Katsu Don - everything was absolutely filling and satisfying to our taste buds. Everything is reasnably priced - the last time we ordered food good for 3 really hungry people I think our bill was just 38 bucks. read more

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Excellent Ramen! The place can get very crowed at meal times. Expect to be moved around if a large party walks in. read more

Chaya - Ground beef spicy ramen. Delicious! - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

This place was amazing, especially eating some hot wonton soup in the Banff snow! We ate here two nights in a row during our stay in Banff. I'm from LA so this place really met standards of authenticity. So flavorful! If you see the McDonald's, do yourself a favor and go to Chaya next door! Great place and I'll miss it! read more

We travel to Banff. This Japanese restaurant was in the Banff small town. We want to have some warm food. So choose it. Not bad! Very Japan style. The waitress was Japanese! The ramen noodles was delicious and rich taste. Full of bean sprouts! read more

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This is the worst Asian food I have ever tasted -- regardless of being at a restaurant, home-cooked, or microwaved -- And I eat Asian food almost every day and traveled to Japan many times. This is nowhere near authentic Japanese food. The food is best described as "edible" when you're famished after days of hiking/skiing. My dog eats better food than this, if I had a dog. I came with some friends and we picked miso ramen, bbq pork ramen, and don katsu. I had the bbq pork ramen... soup base tasted bland, the bbq pork was so dry and hard (it's supposed to be really soft and melt in your mouth). The miso ramen was the same with bland soup base. Don katsu had little flavor with stale pork and egg. Banff is an overpriced town and this might be only slightly overpriced but the food quality is non-existent. Only reason this restaurant has managed to remain open is because this is probably the only Japanese restaurant (besides a sushi place) in Banff. They also sell sushi but it was sold out; based on their noodle/rice quality, I wouldn't hold my breath though. Conclusion: Spend your money elsewhere. Microwave dinner from a local grocery is a really good tastier option. read more

Chaya - Don katsu (left) and miso ramen (right) - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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Ate small lunch here. Looks like mixed cuisine of Japanese, Thai, and Chinese. Order at register and pay. Sit a few tables and they will bring order to you. Food is okay and hot. Nothing outstanding. read more

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Only ramen in Banff. It's okay. Not the worse, but definitely not the best compared to such good ramen in LA and Irvine. It was only good because it was so cold outside. I asked for no bamboo shoots, but they said it was already mixed in the broth.. the place is small so don't come during peak lunch/dinner hours. You can probably come when it's snowing outside since I'm assuming most won't want to drive or walk in the snow just for this ramen... read more

Chaya - Spicy ramen and BBQ pork ramen in the back - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

This tiny gem of a Japanese noodle shop has somehow found its way into the heart of Banff. Stumbled across it roughly 8 years ago and always made it a point to go here for lunch or supper since. With seating so limited that you will most likely have to reserve a spot and come back in 15-30 minutes, you may be tempted to just keep walking. Don't. If you love what a steaming, authentic Japanese broth and tasty ingredients have to offer this is your stop. If you aren't a connoisseur yet - this is a great place for an introduction. Just keep in mind, you're here for the quality of the food, not the decore (which is clean and simple). For a healthy meal, substitute brown colored soba noodles for the less healthy udon or ramen variety. Soba is made from buckwheat which is very healthy. Asian fast food noodle shops rarely carry the soba noodles so this is a refreshing treat. The seaweed salad is quite good too. read more

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Just what the doctor ordered on this cold, gloomy Banff day. Saved by ramen - it's like sunshine in a bowl ... Considering they're in Banff and not Japan, it's delicious. The broth flavor is just right and not overwhelming, the noodles are not mushy We did Tan-Tan and Won-ton ramen with side of kimchi. I would eat here again. read more

Chaya - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

My Tan Tan Ramen was a bit too salty, and there was barely any pork. Hubby's Teriyaki Chicken was quite good. Portion is on the small side. If you crave Japanese food, this might do it for you. read more

When I thought that my life was heading to the gutters, I stumbled upon this place. This place gave me hope and I regret that I have only tried eating at this litty ramen joint just today. However, it is only life, life made me come upon this godsent place and I am eternally grateful. This is my passion fruit to my life and I am in ecstasy. read more

Chaya - BBQ Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Chaya is a ramen restaurant on the main street of Banff. The restaurant is very small. Probably no more than four small tables. We went at lunch and were able to get a table for two. The restaurant sells various kinds of ramen which you'd expect. Shio, shoyu, miso, tan tan. The broth I think is chickened base so somewhat thin in flavor. The bowls come with some ground pork and green onions. Adding pork slices is 3.50. the bowl of shoyu that I had was reasonably tasty but at a price point of 12 dollars I would have expected more garnishes and pork included or the very least a soft boiled egg. Not the best I've had but then again it is Banff and so it's hard to expect a ton. read more

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Worse place and worse food. Not Japanese foods at all. Ordered the bbq-ramen and dandan-raman The bbq-pork are boiled not bbq, ask the owner she said "this is Japanese bbq"lol just treats me like a dumb never had Japanese ramen be4. The dandan-ramen said "has bamboo" yea we did find a 2cm smalllllllll bamboo , only one. read more

Really disappointed in the ramen at Chaya. After a cold day of hiking in the snow and rain, nothing sounded better than a hot bowl of ramen or pho. We decided on Chaya. Unfortunately, the ramen noodles were undercooked to the point of being spongy and the ramen toppings were lacking. No nori, seasoned egg, or bamboo shoots. The ramen base had the consistency of broth, so probably was not a cooked down pork broth that can be expected. My gf's spicy ramen was pretty underwhelming too. I really hope they can improve on the ramen. Would be stellar to have a sumptuous bowl of ramen after a day in the cold. Best of luck. Can't really speak for anything else on the menu. read more

Worst! Our family (include my 4month baby) walked in the restaurant to eat some ramen because it was too cold outside, and we asked if we can sit very end with the stroller because baby was sleeping. the other customers who were eating at the restaurant, told us they will be able to move the table if we wanted. It was very kind and sweet. And now what? the restaurant manager asked me to put our stroller outside or sit at the corner of entrance, it was below 10 celcius outside, and every time people was walking in or out, cold wind was blowing in. Plus the table & chair was really narrow, only 2 of them. We were 4 adults and a 4month baby. We can't sit there anyhow. So we asked the manager if we can sit at the table towards to cashier's counter because it was pretty roomy, so we can set the stroller and all of us were able to sit. The manager told us "No" she said she needed to use the space because of take out customer. Hello, it was a plenty of space, it was still enough space even after the stroller was set up. We were so pissed, because I took my parents in law (both over 60 years old) and 4month baby girl. They shouldn't treat us like that. That was really bad attitude for the customer. the other clients saw how they treated us. I checked the reviews here, and now I understand why they only have 3 stars. read more

I guess I'm spoiled with ramen living in LA cause this place was pretty disappointing. Small restaurant, probably 16 people max? Ramen is pricey and I wasn't impressed by it whatsoever. Just overall bland and to top it off the chashu was completely rubbery and flavorless. Confusing ordering system. You sit down with a menu at your table but you go up to the register to pay and order. Lady only put in an order for 1 ramen so I had to wait for them to make it. I guess it's one of the few spots in the area for ramen, but I definitely wouldn't wait outside for a table in winter weather for mediocrity. read more

Desperation of tourists have given this a vastly disproportionate score. The Ramen here is horrible - tastes instant. The "pork" I received was ground and miles away from what you'd get at any run of the mill Ramen shop in Calgary. The vegetables consisted of bean sprouts and...more bean sprouts. The service is atrociously bad for a Japanese establishment (known for good hospitality and catering to customers), where they rush you in and out as if you're a number, don't accept reservations and tell you to fill your own tap water with plastic BPA laden picnic cups (which taste like it too). Of course you have to walk up and pay and they expect a handsome tip since this is tourist country. Working further against them was the lack of availability of various items that day as well. $12 for a bowl of Nissin instant noodles, ground pork and bean sprouts for the generous opportunity for me to fill my own water, seat myself in extremely uncomfortable chairs and quickly eat and leave. I'll pass. I couldn't even finish my bowl - I make better instant noodles all the time with far superior condiments. If I'm in the unfortunate situation of being in Banff and being hungry I'd go to something established. At least I'd get a consistently half decent meal. read more

Gonna be straight up, this place is NOTHING to rave about, especially if you're a visitor from Vancouver or Toronto! I'm from Vancouver, and am blessed with incredible and authentic Japanese Ramen. I came here with my family and we ordered the BBQ Pork Ramen...5 slices of blanched (and bland) pork that's not traditional chashu style, with a bunch of bean sprouts, and shoyu soup broth. Avoid this tourist trap, I just don't get how this place got ranked 4 stars, it's two at best for mediocre food. Oh, and we were gonna order their Gyoza, but she pulled it out of the fridge ALREADY cooked and was probably going to re-grill or worse, microwave them. I'm so disappointed and never coming back. read more

Chaya - The overwhelmingly disappointing BBQ Ramen... - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Family run restaurant. Got the curry and ramen. Both were good. I support small businesses... hahaha.

Normally I'm not a huge fan of Ramen but my daughter talked me into this. It was delicious. I tried several other of my kids meals and they were equally delicious. You have to love"dad tax". BBQ pork was great but my favorite was the won ton. read more

Chaya - Ramen Near Me - Banff, Alberta

A tiny shop of around 18 seats tucked in beside the behemoth that is Mickey's. So tiny that it was packed no more than 10 minutes after it opened on a Saturday in November. Make what you will of that. The 'reservations' system is informal and confusing based on what was witnessed: "please come back in X minutes". There is no space to wait inside so its all on you to find a place to keep yourself occupied while you wait. Food was ok, though pretty basic for what they were charging. Small maki rolls are also available should you suddenly crave that whilst eating at a noodle bar. To each their own I guess. Water, utensils and condiments were self serve. Service was ok, but somewhat harried. read more

Best food I had In a week in Banff. I had a Tan-Tan Ramen. Spicy but really good! Not fancy, but definitely worth the price compared to everything else in Banff, anyway. read more

I highly suspect this place buys favourable reviews. After being told to come back again twice as we missed the last timing for the waitlist (yes there is a waitlist and you have to wait about an hour to get seated), and finally being seated on the third time, I really expected Chaya to deliver. I'm going to leave a very honest review purely on the food. Here goes. We had two bowls of ramen - the BBQ Pork (in Shoyu broth) and the Miso. This is pretty much 2/3 of the ramen flavors you can expect. If you like thick broths (I personally like tonkotsu pork broths), chewy and thick noodles, and fattier styles of cha-shu (i.e. BBQ pork slices) -- this is not the style of ramen you'd enjoy. First up - the most important element of ramen, the broth. The Shoyu broth tasted like overly diluted soy sauce added to vegetable stock. The Miso broth tasted very similar to the Shoyu one, just that they probably decided to add just a hint of red miso and a truckload of pepper to call it a Miso broth. Next up, the noodles. They were springy but thin. They did not absorb the broth well. They were also very salty. In fact, I think they tasted very much like the frozen kind you can get in the supermarket. Lastly, the meats. The BBQ Pork ramen (in Shoyu broth) came with 4 slices of BBQ pork. The Miso ramen had minced pork bits, and I paid an additional $3.50 to add 4 slices of BBQ pork slices. The minced meats were flavored well but there was just so little of it. Some people may actually enjoy the BBQ pork slices, but I didn't as they were too lean and tough to my liking. I like my BBQ pork slices (i.e cha-shu) fatty and soft. We paid $33 for two bowls of noodles that frankly, made us quite sad. I wouldn't say this was the worst ramen I've had, but I wouldn't say it even made average. read more

Just went there again, 2nd time in 3 days... Like I said in my first review, I don't usually crave ramen, but I was craving Chaya's #3 Tan-Tan Ramen (sesame & peanut paste in spicy soy sauce based soup) today and wanted to eat there one more time before leaving Banff/Canada. Again, as long as they are still at their location on Banff Ave. (or possibly in a bigger restaurant), then I will for sure be going back to my new go-to place for ramen or udon! Oh, and we also tried their KAKIAGE DON rice bowl (small shrimp & vegetable tempura w/ green onion, which I think was fried together in omelette form), and that was YUMMY!!!!! read more

Just what you need after a day on the slopes - a steaming bowl of ramen! Small, non-descript location. Order and pay first and wait at your table. A bit cramped on the seating. Pretty much serve yourself water, utensils, and condiments so I guess I'd rate the (self) service top notch ;). Tasty ramen! Would like to try other menu items the next go around. read more